21 Days Rwanda, Kenya, Tanzania Safari & Zanzibar Holiday

21 Days Rwanda, Kenya, Tanzania Safari & Zanzibar Holiday

For travelers who want to see East Africa properly rather than sample it, this 21 Days Rwanda, Kenya, Tanzania Safari & Zanzibar Holiday covers four countries in a single, carefully sequenced trip: gorilla and golden monkey trekking in Rwanda, wild dog tracking and a night game drive in Kenya’s Ol Pejeta Conservancy, the Great Wildebeest Migration across the Masai Mara and Serengeti, Ngorongoro Crater, and a closing week on Zanzibar’s beaches.

Few itineraries fit in this range of experiences without feeling like a checklist: Kigali’s genocide memorial and cultural sites, gorilla trekking in Volcanoes National Park, a rare wild dog tracking excursion at Ol Pejeta, three full days following the migration in the Masai Mara and northern Serengeti with real odds of a Mara River crossing, a visit to Olduvai Gorge, a waterfall hike at the foot of Kilimanjaro, and finally Stone Town, Prison Island, and a full week of beach time in Zanzibar.

This itinerary suits travelers with three weeks to commit to East Africa and a preference for genuine depth in each destination over a faster, more compressed multi-country trip. It involves two internal flights — Kigali to Nairobi, and Arusha to Zanzibar — both bookable as part of the package.

Quick Facts

Highlights

• Days 1-5: Kigali, Volcanoes National Park — gorilla and golden monkey trekking
• Days 6-8: Nairobi and Ol Pejeta Conservancy — wild dog tracking, night game drive
• Days 9-11: Masai Mara National Reserve
• Days 12-14: Northern and Central Serengeti — the Great Migration
• Days 15-17: Ngorongoro Crater and Arusha area
• Days 18-21: Zanzibar — Stone Town, Prison Island, beach

Detailed Itinerary

Day 1: Arrival

On arrival in Kigali, you will be met by our representative and transferred to your hotel. Check in, relax, and enjoy dinner and an overnight stay.

Meal Plan: Dinner

Day 2: Kigali City Tour

Enjoy a leisurely breakfast before heading into the city to explore its attractions, including Kimironko Market, the Gisozi Genocide Memorial site, and the Inema Art Gallery, among others. Enjoy lunch and a relaxed afternoon at the hotel ahead of your journey to Volcanoes National Park the next day.

Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

Day 3: Transfer to Volcanoes National Park, Iby’iwacu Cultural Experience

After breakfast in Kigali, begin your journey to Volcanoes National Park. Arrive at your lodge, check in, and relax before lunch. In the afternoon, take part in a cultural experience to learn about local Rwandan traditions.

Iby Iwacu Cultural Tour

Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

Day 4: Optional Golden Monkey Tracking, Dian Fossey Museum

Today includes golden monkey tracking, an activity lasting roughly two to three hours in the Virunga forest. Follow this with a visit to the Dian Fossey museum, spending about two hours learning about the famed primatologist through artifacts that belonged to her and displays on the Virunga range.

Return to your lodge for an early lunch and spend the afternoon at leisure. In the evening, take a walk around Ruhengeri town.

Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

Day 5: Gorilla Trekking in Volcanoes National Park

After breakfast and a briefing from park officials, set off for gorilla trekking — a genuine once-in-a-lifetime experience. Rangers will lead you through rugged terrain in search of the gorillas; once located, you will spend about an hour in their presence. The activity in Rwanda can take three to five hours in total, given the gorillas’ movement.

Along the way, you may spot other primates, as well as a range of birds. Return to the lodge for lunch and relax for the rest of the afternoon before dinner and an overnight stay.

Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

Day 6: Transfer to Kigali, Flight to Nairobi (Own Booking)

After breakfast, transfer to Kigali in time for your flight to Nairobi. On arrival, you will be picked up from the airport and driven to your hotel for dinner and an overnight stay.

Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

Day 7: Transfer to Ol Pejeta, Afternoon Chimpanzee Sanctuary Visit

After a leisurely breakfast, check out and transfer to Ol Pejeta Conservancy, set between Mount Kenya and the Aberdare range, taking in the countryside along the way with a lunch stop.

Arrive in the afternoon, check in at your lodge, and visit the chimpanzee sanctuary for a close encounter with the primates. Dinner and an overnight stay follow.

Accommodation: Sweetwaters Serena Camp

Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

Day 8: Wild Dog Tracking, Night Game Drive in Ol Pejeta Conservancy

After an early breakfast, set out on a wild dog tracking excursion, with a chance to see this endangered species in the wild alongside other wildlife. Return to the lodge for lunch and a relaxed afternoon.

After dinner, take part in a night game drive for a chance to see the conservancy’s nocturnal wildlife. Return to the lodge for an overnight stay.

Day 9: Drive to Masai Mara National Reserve, Game Drive

After breakfast at the lodge, transfer to the Masai Mara National Reserve, watching for Africa’s Big Five — lions, leopards, rhinos, elephants, and buffaloes — along the way as you head to your lodge for dinner and an overnight stay.

Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

Days 10 & 11: Full Days at Masai Mara National Reserve, Maasai Cultural Tour

Enjoy an early breakfast ahead of game viewing across the reserve’s open plains, searching for the Big Five along with giraffes, wildebeest, elands, zebras, and topi, with a chance of witnessing the wildebeest migration crossing.

Enjoy lunch after your morning game drive while taking in the scenery, then spend the afternoon on a Maasai cultural tour, an introduction to one of Africa’s most recognizable cultures. Return to your lodge for dinner and an overnight stay.

Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

Day 12: Transfer from Masai Mara to Serengeti National Park

Have a very early breakfast and check out from the lodge as early as possible, around 6 a.m. Exit the reserve through the Oloololo Gate on the western side and continue to the Isebania border, clearing customs before proceeding into Tanzania toward Serengeti National Park. Enjoy a game drive en route, with a chance to spot migrating herds. Check in at camp and relax before dinner and an overnight stay.

Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

Day 13: Full Day in Serengeti National Park (Northern Serengeti)

Enjoy breakfast at your lodge before a morning game drive around the northern Serengeti, searching for lions, leopards, cheetahs, hippos, elephants, wildebeest, antelopes, giraffes, and waterbucks. Enjoy lunch before a further afternoon game drive, with a genuine chance of witnessing the sought-after Mara River crossing.

Your guide will take you around the northern part of the park in search of the migrating herds. Return to your lodge for dinner and an overnight stay.

Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

Ngorongoro Crater

Day 14: Mara River Area Game Drive, Transfer to Central Serengeti

Enjoy breakfast before a further morning game drive around the Mara River area in search of the river crossing, before continuing to the central Serengeti plains, watching for lions, leopards, cheetahs, hippos, elephants, wildebeest, antelopes, giraffes, and waterbucks. Enjoy lunch before an afternoon game drive around central Serengeti, then proceed to your lodge for dinner and an overnight stay.

An optional hot air balloon safari is available around this stage of the trip at approximately $550 per person; confirm current pricing when booking.

Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

Day 15: Transfer to Ngorongoro Conservation Area, Olduvai Gorge Visit, Optional Crater Rim Walk

Enjoy breakfast at the lodge before transferring out of the Serengeti, with a further game drive and packed lunch, toward the Ngorongoro Conservation Area.

Visit Olduvai Gorge to learn about early human history and the discoveries made there by Dr. Mary and Louis Leakey. Continue through the conservation area, taking in the scenery and the Maasai communities who share the land with the wildlife. Proceed to your lodge, check in, and relax before dinner and an overnight stay.

Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

Day 16: Ngorongoro Crater Drive, Maasai Bomas Visit

After breakfast, head out with a packed lunch for a full day game drive in the crater, descending 600 meters into a caldera home to the Big Five — lions, leopards, buffaloes, rhinos, and elephants — along with hyenas, wildebeest, antelopes, cheetahs, zebras, hippos, warthogs, and waterbucks.

You will also spot birdlife including ostriches and flamingos along the shores of Lake Magadi. After the game drive, visit a Maasai boma to interact with the local community before returning to your lodge for dinner and an overnight stay.

Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

Day 17: Materuni Waterfalls Visit and Chemka Hot Springs

After a leisurely breakfast, visit Materuni Waterfalls at the foothills of Kilimanjaro, with views of the mountain on a clear day. Walk through local communities and scenic areas on the way to the falls. Enjoy a local lunch before returning to your lodge to relax for the rest of the afternoon, followed by dinner and an overnight stay.

Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

Day 18: Flight to Zanzibar (Own Booking)

After breakfast, your guide will drive you to the airport in Arusha or Kilimanjaro for your flight to Zanzibar. On arrival, you will be picked up and driven to your hotel for check-in, with the rest of the day free to relax at the beach. Dinner and an overnight stay follow.

Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

Day 19: Stone Town, Prison Island and Spice Tour

Take a private boat from Stone Town to Changuu Island, also known as Prison Island, to see its giant tortoises, before returning to Stone Town by boat. Later, take part in a spice tour through the plantations, learning about spices such as cloves, cinnamon, and nutmeg and how they’re used. Afterward, drive to your hotel for dinner and an overnight stay.

Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

Day 20: Zanzibar Beach Experience

Spend the day relaxing on Zanzibar’s white sand beaches, taking in views of the Indian Ocean. Dinner and an overnight stay follow.

Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

Day 21: Departure

Breakfast is served at your hotel in Zanzibar as you prepare for the drive to the airport, bringing your safari to an end.

Meal Plan: Breakfast

What’s Included

• Airport pick-up and drop-off as indicated
• Gorilla trekking permit (currently around $1,500 per person — subject to change; confirm the current rate when booking)
• All park entry fees
• Cultural tours
• All activities indicated in the itinerary as included
• All accommodation as per the itinerary
• 4×4 safari Land Cruisers with fuel
• Full-time English-speaking drivers-guides
• All meals as indicated, including lunches en route during transfers
• Vehicle entrance fees to the parks
• Bottled mineral water while on safari
• Concession and crater fees
• Activity fees in Zanzibar as mentioned
• Government taxes

What’s Not Included

• All flights and visas
• Travel insurance and Zanzibar’s mandatory insurance
• Tipping
• Optional and extra activities of your choice
• Items of a personal nature such as laundry, phone calls, and alcoholic drinks
• Anything else not included in the itinerary